Rain -- Or Sabatini -- No Match For Graf

In a remarkable display of total concentration, she shook off a half-dozen rain delays Friday in what must have been one of the most bizarre days in professional tennis history and administered a thorough whipping to longtime rival Gabriela Sabatini.

The 6-0, 6-2 win put her into the final of the Lipton Championships today opposite Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who defeated Kimiko Date 6-2, 6-1. They will play on the stadium court at 1 p.m.

It should be a wonderful rematch, an encore to Graf`s straight-set victory over Sanchez Vicario in the Slims of Florida final March 7.

The two women, seeded one and two, have been on a collision course to this final since Day 1, and it has shown up in their postures after every match. It`s hard to recall a news conference in which either hasn`t professed complete confidence in their games.

And with good reason.

Graf lost only 12 of 72 games in five victories here. Sanchez Vicario lost only one set, to Natalia Zvereva in the Round of 16.

There is more at stake here for Sanchez Vicario, who is trying to establish herself as one of the top three, ahead of Sabatini and on the same level as Graf and world No. 1 Monica Seles.

But she carries the weight of nine straight losses to Graf in championship finals.

The way Graf is playing, it is hard to see her losing this time, either.

With a hostile crowd yelling ``Vamos, Gaby!`` after almost every point and one fan waving the Argentine flag at the top of the north bleachers, Graf put on a display of complete composure.

``This is the best I can show right now,`` she said. ``I was aggressive when I needed to be and I kept it in play when I had to.``

It was an extremely windy day, but Graf played about as well in the wind as anyone can.

Her forehands were consistently deep and she deflated Sabatini with passing shots off both sides almost every time Gaby raced to the net.

There was a mythology building around this match, that somehow Sabatini, who had won eight consecutive matches against Graf in Florida, had some sort of hold on her here.

But Graf said she didn`t pay any attention to that.

``I expected a tough match,`` Graf said. ``She is a very gutsy player. But I didn`t really look back on what matches we played already.``

The most important game of the match came at 1-1 in the second set. They went through seven deuces before Sabatini finally cashed in her fourth game point.

Sabatini`s legions began whistling and clapping, urging her on.

It could have been a momentum swing. But the rain came down again, causing the fifth stoppage of the match, and the women retired to locker room.

By the time they returned, Sabatini had lost whatever edge she might have earned.

Graf took advantage of Sabatini`s marshmallow second serves to easily run out the set.

``It is one of the best matches I`ve seen her play,`` said Sabatini, who didn`t help herself by double-faulting to give Graf a 4-1 lead.

Sabatini wasn`t sure how important the final rain break was, saying it did slow her momentum ``a little bit. I was just starting to play better there. It`s too bad I had to stop.``

It was a long day for Graf, who had a short practice session at 10 a.m., an hour before her scheduled start.

The women didn`t get on the court until 1 p.m., and played only one game before the first rain delay.

Graf spent all those delays in the clubhouse, reading newspapers and magazines.

She didn`t make a big deal of the rain and she made the whole awful ordeal seem like just another day at the office.

With her ability to shut out all the distractions that used to press in on her, maybe it was.

GRAF VS. SANCHEZ VICARIO

-- PLAYER: Steffi Graf.

-- AGE: 23. -- RANKING: 2. -- LIPTON SEED: 1.

-- 1993 RESULTS: At Australian Open, lost to Monica Seles in final; at Pan Pacific Open, lost to Martina Navratilova in semifinals; at Slims of Florida, defeated Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in final.